


Love Needs Courage

by TheStarCrossedWitchCat1982



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Courage, Friends to Lovers, Hermione's Nook's Lovebirds Fest 2021, Love, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Spells & Enchantments, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29413554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStarCrossedWitchCat1982/pseuds/TheStarCrossedWitchCat1982
Summary: When Filius Flitwick learns that Minerva McGonagall is teaching her students the Lovebirds-to-Lovenotes spell, he decides that now the time has come to ask for her help to confess to his best friend. But will she consent to help? And will Filius' feelings be returned?
Relationships: Filius Flitwick/Horace Slughorn
Comments: 14
Kudos: 7
Collections: Hermione's Nook Lovebirds Fest





	Love Needs Courage

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been beta read, but please forgive me if I missed any grammar or spelling mistakes. English isn't my first language. 
> 
> This is a contribution to the Lovebirds-to-Lovenotes fest, which was hosted by the "Hermione's Nook" Facebook group for Valentine’s Day.

Ever since the start of February, a bitter cold had taken hold of Scotland. Even Filius Flitwick could not recall a winter, in all the many years he had spent as a teacher in Hogwarts, when the land had been covered in that much snow. He hardly ever left the castle these days, because, if he did, the snow went above his head—and that was never a pleasant experience. For that reason, Filius much preferred to stay indoors, watching the snowfall out of the window in the staff room. 

He intended to use a free period to grade some homework for his Ravenclaw fifth years, but he was finding it increasingly harder to stay focused. A sore throat had kept him awake the previous night, and now the warm fire in the staff room and the softly falling snow were slowly lulling him into sleep.

Filius still had thirty minutes left before he needed to leave for the start of the next class, and so he finally decided that his students would benefit from a well-rested Professor more than from a tired one. He closed his eyes, fully intending to take just a little nap. He would be awake again long before he had to go. 

When he next opened his eyes, however, he found—to his very great surprise and confusion—that he was not in the staff room anymore. He was in his office. How had he gotten there? And how long had he slept? It had been morning when he had fallen asleep, but now it appeared to be late in the night. It was completely dark outside. How strange! Even stranger, however, was—as he now realized—that he was not alone.

His best friend, Horace Slughorn, was sitting on the other side of the table, as usual clad in an expensive tweed jacket. An open box of crystalized pineapple stood between them, next to a chessboard. They were obviously in the middle of a game, although Filius could not remember to have started one. He made his next move and took Horace’s Queen.

This had been easy - too easy. In fact, it was so easy that it made him suspect that he might be in a dream, because Horace, the strategic mastermind, would never have made such a foolish mistake. Ever since Horace had returned to school a few months ago, playing chess had become part of their daily routine. Horace almost always won. 

Filius never cared much about winning or losing when he was playing chess with Horace, though. It was the time he spent with his old friend that he treasured, the pleasant conversations, reliving old memories, laughing together—but also sometimes just sitting together in amicable silence. They had been friends since the early Seventies, when Filius had started to teach at Hogwarts and Horace had already been a member of staff for several decades. As a matter of fact, Filius himself had once been taught by Horace and had even been a member of the Slug Club. Filius would never admit it to Horace, but ever since those days he had had feelings for the old Potions Master that went far beyond friendship. In fact, Horace had been his childhood crush.

He believed, however, that Horace would never return those feelings. Only in his dreams, where everything was possible. Dreams like this. They usually started harmless, with a game of chess or a walk in the school grounds, but always went on to be something more intense. More sensual. Just like today when Horace was leaning over the table to kiss Filius. From there, the dream soon went out of control – until somebody shook him awake, “Horace…” he muttered, before he blinked a few times and finally woke up.

When he opened his eyes, he looked up into the stern face of Minerva McGonagall. “Filius,” she said, “what are you doing! Your students are waiting for you. They came to my office when you did not turn up in time for the start of the class.”

“Oh, Great Merlin!” he said, while he was already getting out of the armchair. Something like that had never happened, in all his years at Hogwarts, “I’d better hurry. Thank you for coming to get me, Minerva.”

Minerva smiled kindly, “Any time. I know you are not usually someone to neglect your duties. Just make sure it is not happening again and then there is no need for Albus to even hear about it.” They left the staff room together and while they walked, Minerva added, “I will have to hurry now. I am going to teach Lovebirds-to-Lovenotes to my sixth years today. It’s Valentine’s Day in a few days.” From there, they went their separate ways to their classrooms.

\---------

A few hours later, just after dinner had ended in the Great Hall, Filius knocked on Minerva’s office door. Her words about teaching the sixth years the Lovebirds-to-Lovenotes spell had been on his mind all day. It was a beautiful spell, a wonderful kind of magic. The melody of the Lovebird’s song, supported by the ‘Cor Meum Revelare’ spell, manifested in the form of beautiful lovenotes. Some of the most beautiful romantic poetry known to wizardkind had supposedly been written that way. Filius, however, as skilled as he usually was when it came to almost all types of magic, had failed on the few occasions where he had made an attempt at that spell. He had never understood why, though.

Now, however, he wondered if Minerva would maybe be able to help him master it, and if—if she was able to help—the result would be good enough to produce a love note he could send to Horace. He knew how crazy this idea was, that he was probably jeopardizing the best friendship he had ever had. But his heart also told him that he had to give this a try. He had always known that he loved Horace, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. It was just his fear that stopped him from confessing. What if he was rejected? What if he lost his friend forever?

Taking a deep breath, he knocked at Minerva’s office door and—on her word—entered. He took a seat on the other side of her desk and she offered him a biscuit while they talked and discussed the reason he had come. Minerva smiled at him while they talked. It was a warm and friendly smile that encouraged him to go on. “So, what do you think, Minerva,” Filius finally ended, “Do you think you will be able to help me? As I have told you, I have attempted the spell myself a few times, but without success so far.”

Minerva took a few moments before she answered, “I will be frank, Filius. I can teach you the incantation and the correct wand movement, yes. However, I seriously doubt that those are at the root of your trouble with this particular spell. Your trouble runs deeper. For Lovebirds-to-Lovenotes to yield the best results, the caster needs to be free from fear and doubt and must allow love to take full control of his or her heart. You must think of the one you love and of your love for them, but of nothing else. Do you think you will be able to do this? If you doubt that you will be able to do it, I cannot help you.”

A few moments of silence followed, in which Minerva and Filius did nothing but look at each other and Filius considered Minerva’s question. Would he be able to do it? Would he be able to let go of his fear to lose Horace as a friend and focus on the love he felt for his best friend? Eventually, he nodded, “Yes. I think that I will be able to do it.” He hoped that this answer would be good enough for Minerva to help him.

It was not, “Well, in that case. I will not be able to help you. Because it is not enough to think that you will be able to let go,” Minerva explained, while she was already getting to her feet, “you have to be sure, absolutely sure. As long as you are not sure about your love for Horace, we do not need to continue this conversation and I can have an early n-“

“No, no wait, Minerva,” Filius interrupted her, “I am sure. Of course, I am sure, quite sure. I love Horace and I want him in my life. Not just as my best friend, but as my partner.”

For a few seconds, it still looked as if Minerva was going to reject hid request, but eventually she sat down again, “Very well, then. Let us start.”

Soon, they were deeply involved in their exercises. The incantation and wand movement were, as expected, no problem at all. Filius was well-versed in spells that were much more complex than this one. Letting go of his fears, however, was even harder to do than he had thought. The first results they got were, therefore, about as romantic as a shopping list or a scientific article in “Achievements in Charms”.

In fact, they only started making progress when Minerva sighed, “Look, Filius. If you cannot do it, it is okay. Even the best of us cannot master all spells and letting go of fear and doubt is hard to do. But I will tell you in secret that you really don’t have to worry. I thought Horace was your best friend — have you never noticed the way he looks at you?” Feeling elevated by what Minerva had just told him, Filius now started to get much better results.

While they continued to practice, Filius began to tell Minerva about the history he shared with Horace, and that, too, helped to improve the quality of the Lovenotes he got. Until—eventually—the Lovebird sang his most beautiful song so far and transformed in a note so sweet, Filius felt sure that this was the one he would be sending to the man he loved.

_Dearest Horace,_

_You have been my best friend for so many years that I can hardly remember a life without you, and—looking back over the time—I can honestly say that I am grateful for every single day we have spent together._

_We have had times full of warmth, sunshine and happiness—and times when the world seemed to be freezing in a bitter cold. Even in the worst of times, however, I knew that without you by my side nothing would be able to hurt me and we would see it through together._

_Remember how you taught me how to play the piano and even allowed me to let yours shrink in size, so I could practice? You were the one who always believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. You believed that I would be able to do anything I wanted to, even as a student. I will also never forget that, when father died during my third year at Hogwarts, you were the one who gave me hold. You were like a father to me yourself, back in those days and I might have despaired if you had not been there. Although I became a Charms Professor myself, Potions was always my favorite class when you taught it. I never forgot about you, not even when we lost each other from sight for many years after school. I believe it is because of you that I became a teacher. I believe I have never properly thanked you for the impact you had on me in that part of my life, so let me do it now._

_When I returned to Hogwarts in 1973, it made me happy to learn that you were still there. We soon became friends and have been ever since. We walked our way though life together, no matter if we were travelling abroad (do you still recall that memorable weekend in Barcelona with Xeno and Barnabas? Or our trip to Moscow, where it was so cold, we had to share a bed?) or had to face personal hardships. We could always lean on each other. I still believe that nobody else would have let me into their home in the night when I escaped from You-Know-Who and I can never thank you enough for what you did for me back then. You are my rock, the one I can always lean on—and it is my sincere hope that you might be able to say the same about me._

_You have been in my life for so many years now… I cannot even begin to say how much ypu mean to me, and it is my one hope that we will also be able to spend the rest of our lives together. There is, however, one thing that I have kept from you for so many years. But now, the time has come for me to confess._

_You know, of course, that I am gay. I have never made a secret out of it and you have met most, if not all, of my partners. None of these relationships have really meant anything, though. Well, right – some of them have. But not one of these men has ever means as much to me as you. You. The one who has my heart._

_Because, Horace, it is something more, something deeper than friendship I feel for you. I love you and have loved you always. I have just never had the courage to confess. I do not know if you return my feelings. I can only hope. I think of how wonderful life would be with you, not just as my best friend, but as my partner. How wonderful it would be to grow old with you, because it is my firm believe that the best is yet to be for the both of us. I just could not keep this greatest secret of all to myself anymore and I hope that you will forgive me for opening up to you._

_I do not know what else to say. Is there anything else that needs to be said? I will send this note to you now and hope that you will not think bad of me once you read it. You will always, always be my friend and the most important person in my life. No matter what happens after you have read this letter._

_Your Friend Forever_

_Filius_

Feeling quite content with the Love note he had gotten from his Lovebird, Filius thanked Minerva and left. He decided to send the note to Horace during the night, when he could be sure that his friend would be asleep. He hoped it would be a pleasant surprise to Horace in the morning—well, a surprise it would be anyway.

\----------------

At dinner the following evening, Minerva watched Filius and Horace with interest. The two men were sitting side by side, and Minerva noticed that the hands of the two men were touching each other often and tenderly. This and the bright smile on Filius’ face was all she needed to know that Lovebirds-to-Lovenotes had worked once more.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you have enjoyed the story.  
> If you like the pairing, I am presently working on a longer story about Filius and Horace.


End file.
